Unit 4 Developing a Decision as a Process: Advocacy to Inquiry

Source: Lakehead University, Teaching Commons

Overview

While in Unit 3 we learned that dialogue is needed for an effective decision, in Unit 4 we will learn that dialogue depends on a decision making process that uses inquiry. Inquiry goes beyond talk. It requires authentic listening, gathering information, reflection, and asking questions.

On the flip side of inquiry is advocacy. As an example: Politicians do, by nature, practice advocacy. They advocate for their stand on political issues, their personal character, and their ideas. The political structure is set up to list a winner and a loser.

The Voter, on the other hand, will practice inquiry. The Voter will consider both political candidates, review the issues, consult with other citizens, and eventually make their choice on the best person for the political position.

Is inquiry better than advocacy? As you will discover in this unit, advocacy has a proper place in society, but an effective decision making process will benefit from an inquiry process when everyone involved listens to the varied perspectives, gathers information, reflects on the possibilities, and asks questions.

Topics

  1. Decisions as an event or a process
  2. Decision making: Unfolding the weakness of advocacy and the strength of inquiry
  3. Decision making: Moving from advocacy to inquiry

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:

  1. Describe the difference between decisions as an event and decisions as a process
  2. Explain the differences in the purpose of advocacy decisions vs inquiry decisions
  3. Describe how the leader changes from an advocacy to an inquiry decision.

Activity Checklist

  • Activity 4.1: Case Study and Reflection
  • Activity 4.2: Watch Ted Talk: The Art of Choosing
  • Activity 4.3:
    • Reflect on a decision you have made with inquiry as well as one with advocacy. Were they successful decisions? Why?
    • Watch Remember the Titans Clip: Creation of a Team
  • Activity 4.4: Complete worksheet on Inquiry and Advocacy
  • Activity 4.5:
    • Identify the differences between Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
    • Submit a brief 1-page review on the differences. Share with others in the forum dropbox. (Ungraded)
  • Activity 4.6: Key Terms Review (Drag/Drop)
  • Assessment: Ethical Decision Making Paper, Part 1

Resources

Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit.

4.1 Decisions as an Event or a Process

We begin Unit 4 asking a question: Is a decision an event or a process? Garvin and Roberto describe a leader who treats decisions as if they are events as follows:

“The fact is, decision making is not an event. It’s a process, one that unfolds over weeks, or even years; one that’s fraught with power plays and politics, and replete with personal nuances and institutional history.”

An event leader will make a decision without regard to the process considering what is happening now, and looking only at the obvious information.

A process leader will understand that a decision involves many moving parts; he is simply the coordinator of a process of exploring possibilities and strategies.

Learning Activities

Activity 4.1: Case Study + Personal Reflection

Read the following Case study, which compares event and process decision making.

The event: I decided to buy an SUV. I walked on the car lot and when I reached the SUV row, my eyes began to twinkle. I knew this was the place for me, especially when I saw the shiny red one with tan interior. I knew that had my name written all over it. Did I drive it home? Of course, it thought it was just what I was looking for

The process: I decided to buy an SUV. I walked onto the car lot and when I reached the SUV row, my eyes began to twinkle. I returned home to do some research. I examined the SUV market be doing online research. I gathered information comparing reviews, test drive experiences, and I assessed my budget. Data in hand, I returned to the car lot. I knew that when I saw the shiny red one with tan interior was the one that proved positive in my research. Did I drive it home? Of course, I knew it was just what I was looking for

Would a wise decision maker use the Event or Process?? Which is best?

Reflect on a major purchase you made in the past and the way the decision was made.. Was it an event or process and why?

Note that the Learning Activities are ungraded, unless otherwise specified. They are designed to help you succeed in your assessments in this course, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them.

Activity 4.2: Group Discussion

  • In your groups, discuss the following:
    • Like Sheena in the TED Talk, do you find it difficult to make a decision when there are more than a few choices?
    • Sheena talked about her experience asking for sugar in her tea when in Japan. Have you considered how much culture impacts, or even limits, your choices?

4.2 Idea Generation: The Weakness of Advocacy and the Strength of Inquiry

Source: Photo by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash

Are you willing to open your mind to new perspectives? Are you open to evaluating the facts, asking questions of people with differing opinions, and speaking truth from the heart? Do you value creativity and fresh ideas?

If so, you are a person of inquiry There was a TV advertisement in the 1970s that would say, “Inquiring minds want to know.” So true If you are a person who is interested in processing the facts before making a decision, you are practicing inquiry.

Inquiry can be described as a request for information, or an examination of facts like when doing research. In other words, it goes beyond looking at only what is written. Inquiry is filled with questions that begin with how, what, why, when, and where.

Inquiry is also sharing things that come from the heart and go beyond things just written in a book or quoting the words of someone else. Inquiry values the thoughts and ideas of others. As a result, inquiry will patiently guide a decision by being open to the ideas of others. Inquiry approaches a decision as a process.

Inquiry is the opposite of advocacy. Advocacy can be described as any action that recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others. A person could advocate for themselves (“I will win and you will lose”), for someone else, (“My client is the best in their field”), or for a cause, (“Vote for the new Library”) An advocate is not interested in the opinion others or asking questions. Decision making is an event vs the inquiry process of asking questions.

Garvin and Roberto describe the importance of practicing inquiry when making an effective decision. Review the table in the chapter called “What You Don’t Know About Making Decisions”. Review the differences between advocacy and inquiry. Notice some of the key words describing inquiry: collaboration, evaluation, collective ownership, and critical thinking. Putting these words into practice is what leads to effective and efficient decisions.

Let’s look at the following scenario and consider where advocacy starts and inquiry emerges:

The owner of the First Mate restaurant, Larry, made a plan for a kitchen remodel and was set.. He developed the plan and was advocating to go ahead. At the last minute he asked his contractor-brother Steve for his opinion. They talked and discussed the plan. Steve described a creative option that would be cheaper and achieve a better than expected result.

What actually happened there?

  • Larry demonstrated respect for brother Steve by asking his opinion.
  • Steve kindly considered Larry’s goals.
  • Steve gave careful consideration of the plans and offered creative suggestions.
  • Steve and Larry valued each others input.
  • The outcome was better than expected.

Larry began with an advocacy decision based on his own ideas. The end result would have cost more and a less pleasing result. Larry’s advocacy had a single path.

When working with brother Steve, an inquiry process emerged and opened up creativity and more options.

Learning Activities

Activity 4.3: Group Reflection

  • In your groups, discuss the following: Does our culture value an advocacy leader or an inquiry leader? Why?
  • In the movie, Remember the Titans, Coach Boone used his advocacy to change the culture of a football team from segregation to integration of Blacks and Whites. By focusing on the common value of having a winning football team, his advocacy-based leadership led to championship football team, and the culture of the community became proudly integrated.

In watching the Remember the Titans movie clip, examine why advocacy leadership was the only way this change could have been made. Also note how respect and trust were at the core of his effective leadership.

Notice how Coach Boone was able to lead his team to victory when beginning with advocacy in decision making, and ending with inquiry.. What were the factors that allowed for the change?

Activity 4.4: Group Worksheet

  • Review the table in the chapter called “What You Don’t Know About Making Decisions”.
  • Next, complete the worksheet on the two approaches to decision-making.
  • Identify a group or a type of group that practices inquiry, and one that practices advocacy. Share with each other which one you see as the best way to make a decision and why.
  • Discuss an occupation where inquiry is needed.
  • Discuss an occupation where advocacy is needed.

Worksheet: Inquiry Vs Advocacy

4.3 Decision Making: Moving From Advocacy to Inquiry

Leaders often find it easier to make advocacy based decisions. When working within an organization, it’s important to gather multiple thoughts and ideas using an inquiry process. The case study below how President John F. Kennedy found the best results using inquiry.

John F. Kennedy become the President of the United States in 1961. Soon after he became President, he was faced with a military action at the Bay of Pigs. He was young, and the only people he trusted were his two advisors, both his brothers. He sought the counsel of his father Joseph who was an elder statesman. After consulting with this small family group, he made a military decision without consulting military officers, and having never served in the military himself. The outcome was not considered favorably.

Hop ahead another year and he was faced with the Cuban Missile Crisis. He had learned some critical leadership lessons and in responding to this military action, he spread a wide net of counselors, to include consulting soldiers on the front line. The response was considered a success.

4.3.1 Learning Activities

Activity 4.5: Case Study: Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis

Read the case study called “Advocacy vs. Inquiry in Action; The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. in the chapter What you Don’t Know About Making Decisions.

John Kennedy had learned to use inquiry instead of advocacy. How did the change from advocacy to inquiry happen? Garvin and Roberto describe the 3 C’s as the key points needed for that change.

  • Conflict: He learned to embrace conflict and debate as he realized that was how he could get a clear picture of an issue.
  • Consideration: He learned the need to respect the military experts and his own cabinet advisors. He listened and was open to opposing viewpoints.
  • Closure: He was firm in his response decision. Having worked through the decision making process with him, Kennedy’s staff and advisors were supportive of his closing decision.

Activity 4.6: Key Terms Review

In order to review some of the major concepts from the text, take the following practice quiz. Although you will not be evaluated on these terms, they will assist you in the assignments for this course.

Unit 4 Summary

“It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.” Thomas Paine

To summarize, it could be said that it uncovers some of the richness in decision making. We learned about the importance of an attitude of inquiry – an attitude that digs below the surface of the obvious. I recently toured a house that I liked and was considering purchasing. I told my builder-friend that it was just perfect When he walked through it, he began asking questions of the Realtor such as “Has there been a flood in the home? Is there additional parking?” The questions continued but not in the spirit of conflict. His questions challenged my advocacy, stirred thoughts to consider, brought closure to my purchase idea, and did it all through the dynamic power of inquiry.

What my builder-friend demonstrated to me was strong leadership.

Assessment

Assignment 2: Ethical Dilemma and Decision Making Models (10%)

This paper will be written and submitted in four parts throughout the class. Each part builds on the other and will be submitted for a grade. The student may accept the feedback followed by making corrections and refinements will be made.

All parts will be submitted as a final paper which will be graded.

  1. Personal Reflection of Decision Making (1 of 4) (assigned in Unit 1)
  2. Ethical Dilemma and the Decision Making Models as Applied to an Ethical Dilemma (2 of 4)
  3. Ethical Dilemma and the Ethical Theories as Applied to an Ethical Dilemma (3 of 4)
  4. Ethical Dilemma and Making a Decision on the Ethical Dilemma: Which side do you see as right and wrong? (4 of 4)

Begin by Choosing an Ethical Dilemma to discuss.

A dilemma is a situation where there is a choice: option A or option B. Both choices have pros and cons and the “right” choice is not obvious. There are many kinds of ethical dilemmas but what they have in common is this: to solve the ethical dilemma, a decision must be made. A decision about the side of the ethical dilemma you support will be made after applying decision models and ethic theories.

Examples of Ethical Dilemmas:

Abortion; Assisted Suicide; Good Samaritan laws; Ghostwriting; In Vitro Fertilization; Organ donation; Social media fraud; Cloning; Gun Control; Partial Disclosure; Reporting illegal activity; Internet fraud

Additional Resource: Markkula Ethics Center

Ethical Dilemma and the Decision Models (Part 2 of 4) Requirements

  • Title Page
  • 2 – 3 pages; APA format
  • Describe the Ethical Dilemma you chose to use in this paper. Identify why the ethical dilemma is a problem or dilemma for you.
  • Include a reference for each model from Making Decisions, the article assigned in Unit 1.
  • Apply the decision models and apply to the ethical dilemma
    • Rational Decision Model: Identify and describe the model. Using the rational decision model, apply it to the decision-making process you may use to determine which side of your ethical dilemma is right.
    • Creative Decision Model: Identify and describe it. Using the creative model, how would you process finding a decision for the ethical dilemma.
    • Intuitive Decision Model: Identify and describe it. Using the creative model, how would you process finding a decision for the ethical dilemma.
    • At this point in your paper, no decision is needed

Grading Criteria:

Grading Rubric

Exceeds expectations (3 marks) Meets Expectations (2 marks) Does Not Meet Expectations (1 mark)
Comprehensiveness Provides detailed responses for all topics Provides responses for all topic Provides incomplete responses for some topics
Understanding Clear, precise and accurate responses Mostly clear, precise and accurate responses Responses lack clarity, accuracy and/or precision
Application Applies knowledge and theory to new contexts with superior skill Applies knowledge and theory to new contexts well Fails to convincingly apply knowledge and theory to new contexts 
Technical Merit Spelling and grammar are accurate. Sentences and paragraphs are well-constructed. Minor and/or few spelling or grammatical errors. Sentences and paragraphs are mostly well-constructed. Several spelling or grammatical errors. Sentences and paragraphs are not well-constructed.

Checking your Learning

  • Describe the difference between decision as an event and decision as a process
  • Explaining the differences in the purposes of advocacy decisions vs inquiry decisions
  • Describe how a leader may change as they move from advocacy and inquiry